<p>I'm a rising sophomore and I really disliked my school, so I decided to transfer. And now I'm at a loss of where to transfer to. I really only have to decide between two schools, so let me tell you about them.</p>
<p>But first, my career choice I want to go into is PR/advertising/journalism.</p>
<p>School 1:
PROS:
- In-State [tuition for me will be almost free] + no need to pay for room/board
- Tourist city, lots of internship opportunities in advertising/PR/marketing without moving
- Parking is $100 per 2 semesters but friends will plan to carpool and split price if I attend
- Stable job; can keep my current one that pays $11/hr
- The simple comfort of being home, in my own bed (and showering with no shoes!)
- I can take summer classes at my local CC here and it'll guarantee a transfer
- No roommate! </p>
<p>Cons:
- Has no recognition as a school for my field, mostly known for business and law.
- Journalism game isn't too big here in this city
- Tier 2 school I believe?
- Large lectures :( I prefer the small classroom environment
- A good amount of my credits transferred as electives only [if appealing fails]</p>
<p>School 2:
Pros:
- I enjoy the peace I get being away from home (it makes going home so much better)
- Top 10 school in the west region
- Their college has a very distinctive program for journalism, advertising/PR, all that jazz
- Internship opportunities in the big city of LA through school
- Small classrooms
- More credits transferred through as classes rather electives</p>
<p>Cons:
- I still have to take out $20-$25k in loans to cover the rest of price
- Parking costs [if I have a car] will be $300 per 2 semesters
- Away from home = food worse [last year I got sick multiple times]
- Summer internships in LA means I need to rent my own apt here
- DON'T WANT A ROOMMATE. I ALWAYS HAVE BAD EXPERIENCES. I prefer to live alone for my own sanity and well-being.
- OOS: so the hassle of moving back/forth, every break traveling, finding jobs every summer, doing class paperwork to ensure transfer credits</p>
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<p>Basically I am TORN between where to go. :( Absolutely torn. I need guidance!</p>
<p>Most of the cons for school two are things that can be fixed or tolerated. Do you absolutely need a car? Going without one really isn’t that bad, especially if you live on campus. The food at the new school might be better (and if it continues to make you sick, it could be a medical condition and not the food itself). If you’ve only been in college for a year, you probably haven’t had tons of different roommates yet, and your new ones might be better. If not, you could try to find someone you like and room with them next year. The big con is the money, but $25k in loans is not that bad. </p>
<p>I think the biggest thing is what you want to do after college. If you’re looking to get your degree and then stick around at a job in your hometown, school one will probably be enough to achieve that. But if you want to branch out and go further with your career, school two sounds like the better investment and the option you’d enjoy more.</p>
<p>I’d agree with school 1 but if you’re still deciding, throw away the parking costs, the size of the classroom, and the potential “I might have to rent my own apartment if I get an internship in this area in the summer.” Those just aren’t worth considering.</p>
<p>I’d also throw away tier 2 vs. top 10. Sure, going to a top 10 would be nice and maybe on paper it’s a “better” school, but considering all of those, will that honestly make you happier at that school just because one is ranked higher?</p>
<p>^That’s ridiculous. Most people at Harvard would probably be happier at Arizona State but you wouldn’t pick ASU over a highly ranked school. Go to school 2. It’s a good and important experience to not live at home for college and you’ll make much more in your lifetime than you would incur in debt by going to the top 10 school over the tier 2 school.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that you could go to school 2 and still do internships in your hometown over the summer (it sounds like they’re available there). That would save a pretty good amount of money.</p>
<p>Of course there isn’t a guarantee, and hard work is a given in order to succeed, no matter what school you attend. But where the degree was earned can matter, depending on the field of study and the type of career the student is looking for. There’s a difference between being a snob who only cares about rankings and recognizing that not all schools are equal and some can offer different or better opportunities.</p>
No ■■■, but there’s a much higher chance of making more money coming from a higher ranked school. You have to take a chance at some point in life, there are no guarantees.</p>
<p>I agree with you to a certain point. If you give me two people who majored in CS, for example, and only tell me that one went to Dartmouth and one went to Virginia Tech, I would think the Dartmouth grad was more intelligent. However, upon looking at their resumes, if the Dartmouth grad has a 3.0, no extracurricular interests, and only has babysitting/waitressing experience and the VTech grad has a 3.9, solid research as his main ‘activity’, and also has a few internships at places like HP and IBM, I would hire him in a heartbeat. </p>
<p>This isn’t to say that the roles can’t be reversed, but it would be silly to say that this doesn’t happen.</p>
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<p>You just said it yourself. There are no guarantees, even if you come from Harvard.</p>
<p>Off the bat, if I wasn’t hiring for a finance company, I’d think the Dartmouth kid wasn’t as smart as the VTech kid because someone going to Dartmouth and majoring in CS probably wants to go into finance and just wasn’t good enough. Whereas the VTech kid didn’t necessarily want to go into finance and might be on his track after all. My impression, knowing nothing about them, is I’d be getting a decent kid from VTech vs one of the dumbest from Dartmouth.</p>
Top 10 in west according to US News ranking in regional schools.
$20k is annual, and I have 3 years left, maybe still 4.</p>
<p>Also, to all other posters, I am completely aware that it is the hard working students that make a name for themselves. I assure you, I’m a hard worker and that won’t change wherever I go. I also know that whichever school I choose, I am taking a huge gamble either way.</p>
<p>Since both schools are a gamble for my future, it’s hard for me to decide where I should go so I just wanted CCers opinions on the matter since I’m having a hard time myself.</p>